Apparently, Sony in Brazil Wants to Samba in Our Face With Vita’s Digital Games
You may already be aware of the latest news circulating on the web about the national launch of PlayStation Vita , Sony's new handheld. Firstly, the arrival of the product in stores was postponed from 02/22 to 02/29, due to Carnival. In addition, it is very likely that the device will cost R$1599 in a package that includes a case, game and 4 GB memory card. The forecast about its starting price is already quite disheartening. R$1599 is expensive. But OK, aside from all the traditional tax blah blah, Sony can lean on the country's outrageous smartphone prices to not seem soridiculouscruel. This holds up until the news that arrives now about the prices of games sold digitally on the Brazilian PlayStation Store . We know that in both the US and Japan, digital purchases will be discounted compared to physical copies of the games. Nothing more natural, especially in an era when Apple and Android sell great titles for minuscule prices on their smartphone networks . But here in Brazil there will be no relief. The first PS Vita digital games already appear in the Brazilian store, and the main releases are tagged with the “soft” price of R$169.99 . Check the comparison between the original values and the Brazilian ones: WipeOut 2048: US$35.99 (US) - US$169.99 (BR) Hot Shots Golf : US$35.99 (US) - US$169.99 (US) Uncharted: Golden Abyss: US$49, 99 (USA) - R$ 169.99 (BR) ModNation Racers: Road Trip: US$ 35.99 (US) - R$ 169.99 (BR) The questions that immediately come to mind are: 1. Where is the advantage in buying the digital version? 2. Is it possible for these games to get even more expensive on physical media? 3. Does Sony think we're clowns? For some time I had been waiting for the arrival of the new generation of portables precisely because of this: by buying the digital versions of the games, I would have quick access to the releases, paying the original (or compatible!) values of each title in the US. But it seems that, for Sony Brazil, this is nonsense. Buy online just to bedouchebagcool. I still have hope that this price relationship is a mistake, or that it could change in the short term. But, judging by the “conservative” position that Sony has been taking in our country, even with the latest advances from Microsoft, hope is not so much. So, I go ahead and hope that it is possible to use the American SEN (Sony Entertainment Network) here. Or will they also block this to close the package soon? PS: did you notice that the WipeOut 2048, from the initial line of games, has 1.6 GB, while the card included in the national kit is 4 GB?
Read More